The Fence Tape patent disclosed an expandable web material having generally parallel edges, and having substantially greater length than width. The web material can be rolled longitudinally. The web material is cut longitudinally to form slits at intervals, where the slits define linear members. The linear members comprise at least a top strand, a bottom strand, and a plurality of cross members. The use contemplated for this web material at the time was as a barrier tape. FIG. 1(a) shows the web deployed across two vertical posts.
Once unrolled, if the tape is pulled both in the downward and longitudinal direction, the web expands to form a cellular structure. FIG. 1(b) demonstrates manual deployment of the web. Here, a single row of cells is formed.
FIG. 1(c) and FIG. 1(d) show alternate embodiments of the fence tape. FIG. 1(c) will deploy to a single row of cells with hanging flags. FIG. 1(d) will deploy to a double row of cells. It should be apparent that the web material can be widened, and a pattern of slits can be cut into the web material, so that when deployed, a plurality of rows of cells may be formed. The Fence Tape patent also discloses other slit pattern embodiments.
While a tape barrier is a contemplated use for this structure, other uses may be more desirable. Instead of using a flexible plastic tape, a flexible web material fabricated from a paper product that would expand to a cellular structure could create a packing material or an acoustic barrier. If such a web material were expanded, and then folded over or crumpled, the cellular cross-members would snare each other. This crumpled material would be resilient, and could create a shockproof environment for fragile merchandise.
The cells created by the Fence Tape patent when used as a packaging material must necessarily be much smaller and more numerous than when used as a barrier. This can be accomplished by cutting smaller more numerous slits that are positioned along the web material.
The Expandable Web Application disclosed a web material with slits cut in a “tilde” pattern. Each tilde consists of a top leg and an essentially parallel bottom leg connected together by a transversal. The tilde slits are situated in rows where the top leg of each tilde is positioned above the bottom leg of the preceding tilde. Each succeeding row is offset from the preceding row such that the transversals of the tildes are linearly arranged. This structure is shown in FIG. 2. The advantage of this structure is that the cells are more closely packed, and the bonds between the cells formed by crumpling are much stronger than the fence tape structure.
The web material of the Expandable Web Application either may be borderless, as shown in FIG. 2 or may have longitudinal borders, 1, as shown in FIG. 3. The rows of tilde slits need not be parallel to the longitudinal direction. This type of web material is shown in FIG. 4. The material of FIG. 4 either may be borderless, or may have longitudinal borders, 1, as shown in FIG. 5. Sometimes borders may provide strength to prevent tearing the material during deployment. Placing two sheets of expanded web material on top of each other, and crumpling the sheets together provides increased strength and spring-like resilience. This effect is enhanced if the angles of the tilde rows are different in both sheets. For example, if one sheet has rows of tildes parallel to the longitudinal direction, as in FIG. 2, and the other sheet has rows that are angularly offset as in FIG. 4, the combination of both sheets will provide maximum resilience and strength.
FIG. 6 shows a portion of web material with rows of tildes situated longitudinally. FIG. 7 shows its cellular structure once expanded. The cell structure is such that when the material is crumpled, a three-dimensional structure is formed as in FIG. 8. This three-dimensional structure provides the spring-like resilience.
The '822 Application and the Priority Provisional Application disclose a dispenser to deploy and expand the web material of the Expandable Web Application. It is to be used primarily with manual deployment of the webbing. The '106 Application disclosed an improved dispenser that could deploy the webbing manually or automatically using a motor. However, its primary application was to deploy the web material of the Expandable Web Application where the webbing had longitudinal borders. The Present Application improves upon the '106 Application by disclosing an apparatus that can expand any web material, including “fence tape” webbing, either with or without longitudinal borders, and either with manual deployment or continuous deployment driven by an electric motor.